A Christmas Surprise
by Crystal-Moonlight-Guardian
Summary: A special Christmas story. Please read and review.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I wanted to make this a one-shot but it was too long. It won't be longer than three chapters though.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Nine Lives of Chloe King but I do own this story…

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A Christmas Surprise

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Part 1

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"Hey, Chloe," Amy said, bouncing into the shop while Chloe was folding clothes. "Are you excited about the trip to the cabin?"

"I'm not sure," Chloe admitted. "Alek's been really distant the last few weeks. I think he may be planning to break up with me."

"What? No, Alek is crazy about you," Amy said. "I just saw you with him earlier."

"Yeah, he's always around to protect me but he's been really secretive lately and he never really talks to me," Chloe sighed.

"Paul acted like that right before he threw me that big birthday party," Amy said. "Alek has done some pretty romantic things in the past; maybe he's just working on a big Christmas present for you."

"You think?" Chloe asked hopefully.

"I sure do," Amy smiled. "Besides, Jasmine would never let him hurt you by dragging out a break up if he didn't want to keep dating you. She would totally kill him."

"Or castrate him," Chloe laughed. "I really needed that, thank you."

"Anytime," Amy said, giving her a hug. "Now hurry and close so we can get out of here." They quickly locked up and met Jasmine at the coffee shop.

"Just to let you know, I would beat him to a bloody pulp," Jasmine smiled. "My mom would've been the one to castrate him." They all relaxed for a bit and got coffee, talking for over an hour before Jasmine noticed how late it was.

She stood up and said, "We should head out. Alek is probably going to beat us to the house and I still have to finish packing."

"I still have some packing to do as well," Chloe nodded. They headed out and Jasmine climbed in Chloe's Kia while Amy drove off in her bug.

"I thought Alek was up at the cabin putting up the outside decorations," Chloe remarked, driving towards her house.

"He was," Jasmine said. 'He finished and is coming back so you can ride with him in the morning. We only have the two SUVs and he didn't want you trying to bring your Kia on the icy roads. My opinion is that he just wants to spend the two hour drive holding you hand." Chloe smiled shyly and Jasmine laughed.

"You still blush like a virgin," Jasmine teased.

"I am a virgin," Chloe said defiantly.

"Wait a minute, you've been dating Alek for 2 years and you're still a virgin?" Jasmine asked in shock.

"That's not a bad thing," Chloe said.

"No, but it is surprising," Jasmine said. "Mai are very sensual and sexual, especially the males. I'm kind of shocked at Alek's will power if he's managed to stay away from you in that way. I see Alek standing at your door; I knew he would beat us." She hopped from the car as Chloe parked and headed to the penthouse with a wave and a promise to see them in the morning.

Alek wrapped Chloe in a hug and said, "That was perfect timing, love; I just got here."

Chloe returned the hug half-heartedly and moved to open the door. "I still have a few things to pack," she said quietly. They walked inside and greeted Chloe's mom before heading upstairs.

"What's wrong?" Alek asked as he closed the bedroom door.

"Nothing," Chloe shook her head and placed some sweaters in her suitcase.

"You're not a very good liar, love," Alek said as he grabbed her hand. "Now tell me what's wrong.'

"Why haven't you tried to sleep with me?" Chloe asked.

"What?" Alek asked in shock.

"Before we got together, you were always making sexual jokes and suggestive advances," Chloe said. "You stopped when we started dating. Why?"

Alek sighed and drew her into his arms. "I stopped because I didn't want you to feel pressured into anything. I know that you haven't been ready for sex and I wasn't going to push for it."

"But Jasmine said that male Mai are very sexual," Chloe said in confusion.

"We are," Alek shrugged. "You have no idea how hard it is to be around you everyday and not be with you physically."

"Why put yourself through that though?" Chloe asked. "I know you aren't having sex with anyone else, but why are you dating me instead of someone that will fulfill all of your needs?"

"I'm with you because I love you, Chloe King," Alek said. "I could never feel for anyone one else the way I feel for you and I'm willing to wait as long as I have to until you tell me that you're ready for more."

Chloe was crying silently by the end of his confession and she threw her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately. "Thank you," she whispered. Alek helped finish the packing and then loaded the car. He and Chloe then went to sleep, cuddled in each other's arms.

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Everyone was awake early the next morning in preparation on the 2 hour trip. Meredith, Valentina, Amy, and Paul were in one car while Alek, Chloe, Jasmine, and Reid (Jasmine's boyfriend of six months from the Dallas Pride) took the other. Just as Jasmine predicted, Alek held Chloe's hand for the entire drive and she completely forgot her previous worries.

Valentina began handing out room assignments upon arrival at the cabin. Jasmine and Reid would be across the hall from Alek and Chloe on the second floor. Paul and Amy would take the bedroom on the first floor while Valentina and Meredith, who had become fast friends once Meredith learned about Mai, would share the master bedroom.

Once everyone had unpacked and settled in, Alek and Reid pulled out boxes filled with decorations for the inside of the cabin. They then announced that since they had decorated the outside, the girls and Paul could decorate the inside. They turned on a football game and made themselves comfortable on the couch while Valentina walked outside and Chloe and Jasmine exchanged evil smirks that would have sent the boys running in fear if they had noticed.

Jasmine walked over, sitting in Reid's lap as she began playing with the hair at the back of his neck. Chloe leaned over the back of the couch behind Alek, rubbing her hands along his shoulders and down over his chest. Both girls began kissing and nibbling along their boyfriends' jaws and down their necks, causing the guys to moan in appreciation.

"Do you love me?" Jasmine asked softly against Reid's throat.

"Yes," Reid moaned.

"Would you do anything for me?" Chloe whispered in Alek's ear, giving it a teasing lick.

"Anything," Alek shuddered happily.

"Then go cut down the Christmas tree," Valentina smirked, holding out a hand saw as the girls pulled away and Meredith turned off the TV.

The boys stared at her blankly for a minute before turning to each other with a groan, their heads hitting the back of the couch in defeat. "We got played," said Reid.

"Totally," Alek agreed. "Alright, we're going." He grabbed the saw from Valentina and went to get their coats. The girls blew kisses to the exiting guys and exchanged high fives once the door closed.

"That was totally awesome!" Amy exclaimed.

"I am so going to pay for that later, but the look on their faces was more than worth it," Jasmine laughed.

The guys returned four hours later to see that the entire interior of the cabin had been decorated and the girls had made their way to the kitchen to do some baking.

"We were beginning to get worried," said Meredith.

"It started snowing again," Reid grumbled. Paul ran to help them pull the tree into the living room and set it up so they could begin stringing on the lights. The girls stayed in the kitchen until they heard a shout and crash.

They dropped everything and raced to the living room, wondering how assassins could have possibly found them all the way in the middle of no where. Stopping in shock they almost fell over laughing at the scene before them. The tree was lying across the floor and the guys were chasing a squirrel that had apparently been brought in accidentally with the tree.

"Care to give us a hand?" Paul called when he noticed the girls.

They spent the next ten minutes chasing the squirrel out the door and laughing about the silliness of it all. "Wow, you three really have your work cut out for you," Amy remarked, surveying the damage to the living room.

"What do you mean, 'you three'?" Alek asked with narrowed eyes.

"We didn't bring a squirrel in the house," Valentina said pointedly.

"We didn't mean to," said Paul.

"Well, this will just teach you to always check the tree before bringing it inside," shrugged Meredith. "Come on girls, there's lots more cooking and baking to do." The girls returned to the kitchen, leaving the guys staring at the semi-destroyed living room that they now had to clean.

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After dinner, everybody grabbed boxes of ornaments and attacked the tree as Christmas music blasted from the radio. Valentina passed around eggnog and everyone took turns saying something good that happened to them during the year.

"The best thing that happened to me this year would be meeting Jasmine," smiled Reid.

"I liked being able to read one of the Mai history books with permission," said Paul.

"The best thing for me was learning about the Mai and finally understanding why my daughter was so secretive," Meredith laughed.

"Getting my early acceptance letter to fashion design school," Amy said excitedly.

"Getting rid of the last assassin before the holidays started so we can relax and enjoy them," smiled Jasmine.

"My favorite part of the year was learning that the head of the Order in San Francisco moved to the East Coast," Valentina smirked.

Chloe smiled and said, "I'm happy I made it the whole year without losing another life."

"My favorite thing was being marked as Chloe's officially sanctioned protector," Alek smiled. Chloe blushed as she lightly traced the tattoo on his wrist. Everyone smiled when he leaned over to lightly kiss her temple.

Amy picked up a box of tinsel and they started putting it on the tree but ended up in a tinsel fight instead, Valentina and Meredith running from the room to avoid the mess. The guys finally declared victory and made the girls do the cleanup. They finally headed to bed almost half an hour later, excited to spend the next day (Christmas Eve) with their friends and family.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: A truely HUGE thank you to my beta reader Burningcrystal, she really helped me with part of this chapter and I hate to think of what you guys would have been forced to read without her help.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Nine Lives of Chloe King but I do own this story…

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A Christmas Surprise

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Part 2

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Chloe stretched out in bed the next morning then shot upright when she realized that Alek wasn't in bed with her. His side of the bed was almost cool so she'd been alone for a while. She became very still and listened for the familiar sound of his heart beat, relaxing instantly when she located him downstairs, possibly in the kitchen. She headed out of her room and meet Jasmine in the doorway.

"Was Reid upset last night?" Chloe asked.

"Surprisingly no," Jasmine smiled. She too was still in her pajamas and they turned to close their bedrooms doors at the same time. They screamed as they promptly found themselves drenched in snow and ice water.

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Everyone was downstairs eating breakfast when they heard the screams from upstairs. Alek and Reid exchanged smirks as they darted out the back door.

Chloe and Jasmine both stormed into the kitchen looking like drowned cats and demanded, "Where are they?"

Valentina and Meredith just stared at the dripping wet teens in complete shock. Paul pointed out the door, and the girls took off.

"I hope they got a good head start," said Amy. "Otherwise, they're dead when the girls find them."

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The boys didn't make it very far before the girls tackled them into the snow. _They wrestled for several minutes before tumbling down a snow bank stopping just before they reached the edge of the lake. Alek could see the determination in Chloe's face as she hopped up and charged at him full force. Alek quickly stepped out of her path while pushing Chloe to the side of him sending her towards the still feuding Jasmine and Reid. Reid extracted himself from Jasmine right before Chloe came barreling into her sending them both into the lake.__ They surfaced coughing, and hissing out their anger. Wide eyed, the boys rushed forward; apologizing and wrapping the girls in their coats._

_"Chloe, I'm so sorry," Alek kept repeating. "I didn't realize we were so close to the edge."_

_"Are you okay, Jasmine?" Reid asked. "I never meant to push you like that."_

_"You two are both dead," Chloe stuttered, her teeth chattering with from the cold._

_"As soon as I can feel my body again," Jasmine chattered her agreement. It began snowing again and Alek swept Chloe into his arms, bridal style,__ to walk back to the cabin. Reid followed with Jasmine and the girls glared at them before exchanging looks with each other and nodding._

_The girls were coughing and sneezing by the time they returned and the boys rushed them upstairs. Valentina followed and told the girls to take hot showers while she sent the guys to put their new clothes in the dryer so they would be hot when Chloe and Jasmine were ready to put them on. _

_"Looks like you two will have slight colds from this little stunt," Valentina shook her head. _

_"Can you tell the guys that it's something worse than a cold?" Jasmine glared at the door._

_"I don't think that'll be necessary but __I'll tell them you have very bad colds," Valentina sighed. "I'll make some herbal tea that will help you get better quickly."_

_"Thanks, mom," Jasmine said as her mother headed back downstairs. She and Chloe then jumped into hot showers trying to warm up.__ They changed into the dryer warm clothes when they got out and went back downstairs. A large fire was roaring in the hearth and the boys were waiting at the foot of the stairs with hot cups of tea. _

_"So, anyone up for a snowball fight?" Paul asked enthusiastically._

_Everyone glared at him and Amy said, "How about we watch Christmas movies instead?" _

_Chloe and Jasmine__ stretched out on opposite ends of the couch, Alek and Reid draping warm blankets over both of them. Amy and Paul claimed the love seat while Meredith and Valentina took the two recliners. Reid and Alek settled on the floor at the girls' feet to be close by just incase they needed anything, and they needed a lot. They asked for something at least twice during each movie, whether it was another pair of socks, a tea or cocoa refill, more popcorn, or a new box of tissues. They made it through three movies before Chloe decided she was hungry._

_"I'll get it, what would you like, kitten?" Alek asked quickly. _

_"Grilled cheese with ham and turkey and tomato soup," Chloe said after thinking a minute. _

_"That sounds good," Jasmine said. "I want the same." _

_"Anything you want, babe," Reid replied._

_"And put oregano on the sandwich and rosemary in the soup," Chloe said._

_"That does sound good," said Amy. "Will you fix me one while you're up?"_

_"Okay," Reid said reluctantly. _

_"Why don't you just make enough for everyone?" Valentina suggested. _

_"Okay," Alek groaned quietly. Amy slipped another movie into the player as the guys headed toward the kitchen._

_They were halfway through 'A Charlie Brown Christmas' when Alek and Reid brought Chloe and Jasmine their lunches on TV trays. The sandwiches were cut into fourths for easy dipping and there were fresh cups of tea. __They began eating as the boys brought a huge plate of sandwiches and individual bowels of soup for everyone else._

_Reid turned to Jasmine after she finished eating and asked, "Would you like me to rub your feet?"_

_Jasmine nodded__ and pulled her feet from under the blankets with a smile. Alek noticed this and turned to see Chloe tuck her feet further under the covers. Giving her a smile, he said, "I know you don't like anyone to mess with your feet. How about I rub your shoulders instead?" _

_Chloe blushed and scooted forward to give him room to sit behind her as Amy chose another movie. He started massaging the knots from her upper back and she sighed gratefully. She and Jasmine exchanged smiles and nodded, silently agreeing to forgive them after this. _

_Once both girls were thoroughly relaxed, Alek asked, "Is there anything else you need?"_

_Chloe settled herself back against his chest and said, "No, __I feel much better." She shifted a bit and kissed his cheek with a smile._

_After the movie, Meredith and Valentina went to their room and returned wearing pajamas and carrying several wrapped gifts. They passed them out and Meredith said, "It is a King family tradition that __everyone wears new pajamas on Christmas Eve. Now run and change then hurry back here for pictures before dinner."_

_Everyone scrambled to their rooms to change and a few minutes later, Valentina and Meredith heard the girls arguing with guys about returning to the living room. The girls finally managed to drag the boys out of the bedrooms and Meredith and Valentina were quick to snap candid shots of the group. The girls were all wearing colorful fleece gowns; Chloe in blue with kittens wearing Santa hats, Jasmine in pink with Christmas gifts and elves, and Amy in purple with reindeer and bells. The boys all wore white thermal shirts and pants with fuzzy holiday shorts and matching hats. Paul was in green elf shorts with a brown belt and his green hat had elf ears attached to it. Reid was in brown shorts with a red belt and gold bells and a tail; his hat was reindeer antlers. Alek wore red Santa shorts with a black belt and Santa hat. _

_"Really, Aunt Val?" Alek asked in annoyance._

_"Really," Valentina smirked._

_"Now we'll take couples shots under the mistletoe," smiled Meredith. _

_"Not dressed like this," Reid panicked._

_"Yes, dressed just like this; that's the tradition," Chloe nodded, grabbing Alek's hand and pulling him toward the mistletoe hanging over the window seat beside the tree. Before Alek could protest, she pushed him down and sat on his lap, smiling at her mother as the pictures were taken. Alek then surprised them by grabbing Chloe and dipping her back before kissing her passionately. When he finally pulled her back up, Chloe's face was red and she was grinning like an idiot. Jasmine was snapping pictures with her phone as Amy recorded a video of the incident. Next up were Amy and Paul. Paul simply pulled Amy into a sweet and gentle kiss for their picture. Then it was Jasmine's turn to surprise everyone. She and Reid stood under the mistletoe and she wrapped one arm around his neck with the other around his waist, but when he leaned down to give her a kiss, she tripped him, causing him to fall into her arms. She then proceeded to kiss him much like Alek had kissed Chloe and everyone laughed at the bright red blush that colored Reid's cheeks._

_"Dinner time," Paul announced as Alek's stomach growled loudly. They made their way to the kitchen__ where they pulled out all of the Korean dishes that the girls had cooked the previous day. Reid had never tried most of the dishes so Paul had fun telling him what they were and what was in them. _

_After dinner, they brought all of their gifts to place under the tree before settling in for __one final movie. It was Chloe's turn to pick and she chose one of her favorites, 'Ernest Saves Christmas'. Everyone enjoyed the movie and then went to bed._


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own the Nine Lives of Chloe King but I do own this story…

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A Christmas Surprise

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Part 3

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Chloe awoke to soft kisses along her neck and jaw line. She smiled and turned to capture Alek's lips with her own. "Merry Christmas," she whispered, breaking the kiss.

"Happy Christmas, love," Alek grinned. He leaned in to give her another kiss before they headed for the bathroom to brush their hair and teeth. They then joined everyone else in the living room for coffee and cinnamon rolls. After everyone was more or less awake, they began opening gifts.

Reid gave Jasmine a plane ticket to Hawaii, holding the other for himself, and explaining that he was taking her on a private vacation. Valentina and Meredith both received full spa packages. Jasmine gave Reid a new IPod with their favorite songs already loaded on it. Amy got a new guitar, and Paul got a book about Mai history.

"I think you're really going to like what I got you," Chloe said slyly, passing Alek a small black box with a white ribbon. He opened it to find a silver dog tag necklace with a picture of the two of them engraved on one side and their names on the other. Pulling the necklace from the box, he raised his eyebrow at the small silver bell that dangled from the end.

"Really?" he asked.

"I told you I would buy you a bell," Chloe smirked.

"Yes, you did," Alek laughed as he leaned forward to kiss her.

Many other gifts were exchanged before Chloe noticed a box behind the tree that hadn't been there when they went to bed last night.

"Who's that for?" she motioned toward the mystery box.

"That would be for you," Alek smiled as he carefully placed the box in front of her.

Untying the ribbon on the top, Chloe lifted the top to find the cutest kitten she had ever seen. It was silver with dark grey/black spots on its body and stripes around its face and legs. Chloe assumed it to a girl since it was wearing a pink collar with a heart shaped tag.

"Oh my god, Alek, she's beautiful!" Chloe exclaimed, picking up the purring kitten.

"She's an Egyptian Mau," Alek smiled. "Mau are really rare and they're said to be very special to Bassett."

Noticing some writing on the tag, Chloe took a closer look and read: 'Will you marry us?'

Eyes widening in disbelief, Chloe jerked her head up to find Alek kneeling before her holding a diamond ring. Her eyes darted between Alek, the ring, and the kitten several times before finally her gaze with his. Tears clouding her vision, she smiled and cried, "Yes!"

A radiant smile lit Alek's face as he slid the ring onto her left ring finger. He cupped her face in his hands before capturing her lips in a searing kiss. Everyone clapped excitedly and the girls rushed to hug them.

While Chloe was being swarmed by the girls, Reid pulled Alek a few feet away and sighed, "Congratulations, man, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," Alek smiled.

"Why did you have to pull something that romantic in front of Jasmine though?" Reid frowned. "How could I ever compete with something like this?"

"First, you and I are going to have a very long talk before you even consider asking Jasmine to marry you," Alek replied with a small glare. "Second, you aren't supposed to compete with this. This was perfect for Chloe, but not for Jasmine. If and when the time comes, you'll find the perfect way to get Jasmine to say 'yes'."

Valentina came over and gave Alek a hug. "I had no idea that kitten was going to be part of a marriage proposal; how surprising original. I'm so happy for you. I have to ask though; you're both only eighteen, are you absolutely certain that this is what you want? When Mai mate, they mate for life."

Alek locked eyes with Chloe from across the room and, smiling, he said, "I've never been more certain of anything in my entire life."

**The End**


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